Providing lifespan services to individuals with special needs...
Strides Newsletter Archives
Academy of Teaching Excellence
First Things First
On the 21st and 22nd of March, 60 participants trooped into the V-Excel premises in Mandaveli. It was the weekend, and there was barely a smidgen of curiosity amidst little enthusiasm. One hour into the course, however, everyone’s interest was awakened and by the end of the day, participants were waiting to get back for day two of the course! Thanks to experienced trainers from St. John’s Ambulance, Mr. Kumaraguru, Mr. Chandran, Mr. Soundararajan, and Ms. Lakshmi, the two-day ‘First Aid, CPR and Safety’ programme was a far cry from general expectations, providing interesting theoretical and practical knowledge through lecture-demonstrations, interactive slides and video presentations.
“At the end of the course, participants felt it had prepared them well to attend to any kind of emergency. For instance, they were taught how to apply splint bandages in case of a fracture, and how to lift a wounded person using just blankets while transferring them into an ambulance,” said Maria Josephine, Coordinator, ATE. “A special thanks to Mr. Vadivel Mugunthan, Chairman of St. John’s Ambulance, and B. Sundari, Managing Trustee, V-Excel, for making this happen.”
Participants to the course also included some former ATE students and staff from the organisation, Pudiyador, a city-based NGO that works with disadvantaged children. Some of the subjects covered at the course were treatment of minor bleeding and burns, priorities of First Aid and managing the scene, emergencies in public, and recognition and treatment for head injuries, asthma, shock, meningitis, bone and joint injuries, seizures and strokes.
Some Takeaways
- Even if you have no money on your mobile phone or are out of area coverage, you can still use your phone to call the emergency numbers, such as 108 for an ambulance.
- If you have administered First Aid in an emergency, then it is not mandatory for you to accompany the patient to the hospital in an ambulance.
- A trained First Aid personnel is also not answerable to anyone, including the police. This is the right given to a person trained in First Aid.
They Said It!
"As a parent of two active boys, I always wanted to know the correct procedure to help children in emergency situations. The training was enjoyable, informative, memorable and valuable. The speakers were knowledgeable and shared great information on emerging trends, technologies, and lessons they have learned along the way. It was such an extraordinary experience that I would recommend St. John’s Ambulance to anyone who is interested in high quality First Aid training. I would also like to thank V-Excel Educational Trust for organising such essential training programmes."
Jayanthi Mani
"I would like to thank V-Excel for giving us this opportunity to attend the course. Through this course, we not only received practical training, but also took back with us the confidence in our abilities to help during an emergency."
Fathima Ruby, Program Co-ordinator, Pudiyador.
Counseling & Assessments
Mandala Art
In a department that works with a variety of people – special children, parents, teachers, corporate clients, vocational unit trainees, siblings of special children and more – there is a constant buzz at C&A. If you have ever wondered how they do it, then here’s their version of Mandala Art. “We strive to work towards the integration of the various aspects of each individual – the parts in us we are comfortable with, those we are not comfortable with, those we share commonly with others, those which are unique to us,” explains Sharmistha Mani, one of the counsellors in the department. “Each one of us in the department has a unique combination of aptitude, skill, area of interest, and access to sources of learning. By regularly sharing our learning with the rest of the group, we all benefit by gaining a new perspective. If one of us is particularly interested in the subject, we could take steps to understand it further. In addition, we learn to practice openness, to be comfortable with our vulnerability i.e. letting others see our pain, our sorrow, our happiness... to adapt another’s area of strength into our lives and to face our own weaknesses,” adds Sharmistha. “To sum it up, we not only develop professionally, but we experience personal growth as well through each of these sessions.” Need we say more?
Other News from C&A
Art Therapy
The art therapy sessions with seven of KLC’s children concluded for this academic year. A tremendous growth was witnessed in children through these sessions and the healing effect was evident in the way the paintings changed over time. "Some children would put a lot of pressure on the brush, sometimes even tearing the paper. By the end of the therapy session, these children ended up painting beautiful rainbows!" said Parimal Pandit, Head of C&A. "Many children have also written that painting makes them feel calm inside and helps them carry on the day."
Regulars
- Counselling with parents and other adults continued, as did our work with corporates. As the academic year came to an end in regular schools, there have been several referrals for evaluation of children with an academic lag or LD requirements. There were over 10 consultations this month alone.
- The cross-partnership with Pudiyador, a city-based NGO working with disadvantaged children, is also making steady progress. Children have shown a marked improvement in their behaviour, and a few parents too have sought counselling sessions with us.
- Group play therapies and individual art therapies also continued this month for KLC, VRC and VTU. A Parents Meet was also conducted at VTU to address the parent’s emotional needs and concerns.
A Mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the universe. According to art therapist and mental health counsellor Susanne F. Fincher, we owe the re-introduction of mandalas into modern Western thought to Carl Jung, the Swiss psychoanalyst. In his autobiography “Memories, Dreams, Reflections”, Jung wrote: “I sketched every morning in a notebook a small circular drawing,...which seemed to correspond to my inner situation at the time....Only gradually did I discover what the mandala really is:...the Self, the wholeness of the personality, which if all goes well is harmonious.”
Early Intervention
More Than Words
The Early Intervention Unit, perhaps, has one of the toughest jobs. They walk the tightrope of hope with parents, who are in a vulnerable state of denial and apprehension, watching their child’s developmental delays and falling into the morass of confusion due to lack of awareness or professional guidance. At EI, however, these are everyday battles, and letters such as these from parents, make it all worth their while.
Letter from R. Kalaivani, mother of Srivatson who came with speech delay, improper walking, and difficulty in writing.
"First of all thanks for bringing a great change in my son's life! The effort taken by V-Excel through home programmes and therapies has brought him to the stage where he is now. All the problems he had initially have reduced drastically. Now he has started writing and I can’t imagine that when he came to V-Excel, he had major problems in even holding a pencil! He is also reading well, and his last performance on stage as a policeman has proved his level of improvement. Thank you for bringing out the best in him."
Letter from Janaki S, mother of a child with difficulty in speech, communication, eye-contact and self recognition.
"Like any other parent, we were completely broken emotionally when we came to the EI centre in Shastri Nagar. We found a confidant in Lalitha Sridhar (Coordinator, Early Intervention), who heard us patiently and explained to us at every step how our child would progress. We learnt how to handle him and how the centre would facilitate his basic needs. We also learnt to see our child’s remarkable abilities. The staff was extremely cordial, handling our children with utmost care. Now my child is able to express clearly his wants, needs and feelings without any difficulty and as parents we are so very thankful to the entire team at EI."
Kaleidoscope Learning Center
The Graduates
There was a sense of dignity and enthusiasm on March 26 as all the children – Grades 4A and 4B and Grade 1, gathered for their formal graduation ceremony. The unmistakable veneer of dignity on their faces and enthusiasm in their hearts was hard to miss on this momentous occasion, as parents and teachers and the entire school gathered together to witness not just the children’s journey from one grade to the next, but also the journey of two important teachers as they moved on from their current roles.
Neha Bhalla, Grade 4 teacher who is all set to go on her maternity break, did a symbolic handing over of her responsibilities to Aparna Sathyam and Puja Bhalla, while Janaki Ashok, Coordinator of KLC, who gears up for a new chapter in her life in the US, handed over her work responsibilities to Shashikala Subramaniam.
As Grades 4A and 4B come together as Grade 5, and Grade 1 moves to Grade 2, let’s join the school in wishing all the students and teachers the very best for the coming academic year!
Other News from KLC
Garden Tales
March 27 was the last day of farming for the children of Grade 4A and Grade 4B at the Kotturpuram Garden. This was an initiative organised by Nizhal, a city-based NGO working towards the conservation of trees. When children submitted their written feedback to Shoba Menon, Coordinator of Nizhal, she was thrilled to learn the deep impact this exercise had had in the lives of our special children.
Happy Holi!
Holi was celebrated amidst great cheer on March 17. The colour of joy mixed with the element of water as exuberant children splashed cool water in the middle of Chennai’s summer, thoroughly enjoying the experience as always. The highlight of this celebration was that the colours used were safe and organic, like turmeric for yellow and beetroot for red.
Nature Walks
The nature walks continued on Wednesdays with different sets of children and teachers accompanying wildlife photographer, Poochi Venkat. These early morning encounters with the wildlife have been especially interesting for our eager beavers.
Workshops
Teachers of KLC attended interesting workshops this month, such as the Quilling workshop by Sharmistha Mani of the Counselling and Assessments Unit, and a sensory integration workshop held at SPASTN.
V-Excel Educational Trust
Blue Sky Unplugged!
The concert, Blue Sky Unplugged, by KLC’s children and their teachers, was everything it promised to be – fun, entertaining, and heart-warming. This was the first time that Blue Sky was stepping outside the safe environment of home and school to perform for an external audience and it certainly was a milestone moment for us at V-Excel, a testimony to our core vision of integrating individuals with special needs into mainstream society. With a repertoire of songs both well-known and those composed specifically for the children by our teachers, the music came straight from the heart, speaking the language of gestures, taps and claps, making this choir truly one-of-a-kind.
A big thank you to IshaLife for hosting our choir!
Here’s an eloquently written report about the concert by Mr. T.N. Elangovan, the parent of Akshaya Nathan of Grade 4. The report was written originally in Tamil and has been translated to English by one of our teachers, Sowmya Sarathy.
“Many an evening cross one’s life time. Some are there to stay in our memory forever, touching us deep. It was one such evening on March 23, that left a sweet lingering note, an unforgettable one.
V-Excel’s Blue Sky Unplugged concert had us clinging on to anticipation for over a week. Whilst the four of us had planned to attend, in the last minute, quite unexpectedly, my niece also joined us. The venue chosen for the concert was akin to a grove in a village, close to nature in its pleasant shadows. We sat on the mats laid on the ground, and waited.
All the children and the child-centric, angelic teachers were adorned in blue scarves, bringing to us the feel of the blue sky wrapped down on earth.
Like ever before, led by the young and divine Neha Bhalla with her guitar, joined by Puja Bhalla who merged as one with the children, it was a picture of Krishna and the cattle herd in Gokul, bound by his spell; a wonderful, eye catching visual indeed.
The programme commenced in its simplicity. Quite naturally, and seamlessly, without any hesitation, the children blended into the rhythm and began to sing. Seated and spread over chairs and on the ground, the mesmerised audience of over 50 in number, cheered and applauded through the concert, as one song turned over to another, with much ease, and the children journeyed on so musically.
The inclusion of some Thamizh songs in the concert was the heights of excitement!
The pinnacle of the programme was the solo performance of Chinmayee. Though he started off a little shy and hesitant, there was a tremendous sense of self expression that came across in the way he sang! Holding a tiny stick for a mic, Chinmayee transported us to the heaven of sounds, opening his eyes just small enough to notice the audience and accept their acknowledgement, bringing tears to my eyes.
It was a performance that makes one wonder, ‘What is the gift that these children do not have!’ An hour flew by without notice, and by the end when we were leaving, we left with the song “aasman aasman aasma aaa aan” on our lips.”
Occupational Therapy
Hygiene Matters
"For the last one-and-a-half months, a 21-year-old boy has been coming to us for therapy, especially for toilet training. He attends two sessions with us every week and has always had difficulty using the bathroom for his needs. In fact, only when he was around 18 years old did he even attempt using the toilet bowl," explains Suba Naresh, Coordinator of OT. "But lately, he was also smearing his excreta on his body and on the walls of all the rooms in his house and his parents were quite agitated with his behaviour," she added.
One-and-a-half months with OT, however, and there is already a marked improvement in his behaviour. After several years, he now prefers to use the toilet bowl regularly and his parents are more than relieved with this change. "This was one of their main concerns for several years and his parents now feel like we have rescued them from a situation that seemed hopeless. It was a great milestone for us at OT, and to see his parents excited and happy brings a smile on our faces too," said Suba.
Other News from OT
- Conducted assessments for some of the children from the Pudiyador group.
- Planning for summer OT sessions has begun.
- 4 new assessments were also conducted this month.
V-Excel Remedial Center
Pursuit of Excellence
When Saravanakumar came to V-Excel’s Remedial Centre, he was eleven years old, attending a mainstream school, and was diagnosed with a learning disability. "He had the skills of a Grade 1 child. He couldn’t read or write or comprehend and was very de-motivated and surly, with low self-esteem," explained Jayanthi Srinivasan, Coordinator of VRC. For the next three years, Saravanakumar went through an intensive remedial programme at the centre, and gradually, he began to show some improvement. "We needed to work a lot on his will to believe in himself and work with enthusiasm. Slowly he started responding to us, trusted us and relaxed. He was extremely regular and consistent and started to enjoy his remedial classes," said Jayanthi. So when his parents met the team to inform them that Saravanakumar had been promoted from Grade 9 to 10, it was nothing short of a miracle. “Of course, he scored only about 40% in his subjects, but for his parents and us, who have been so closely associated with his struggles, we know what an achievement it is for him,” added Jayanthi. "In fact, his mother had tears in her eyes when she thanked us, and his father had written a letter stating that Saravanakumar’s progress is only because of V-Excel, which has made their son a worthy boy!" Here’s wishing Saravanakumar a fantastic future ahead!
Satellite Centers
Colours & Fun!
In rural parts of Maharashtra, the festival of colours, Holi, is celebrated on the fifth day of the Hindu lunar calendar as Rangpanchami. Rangpanchami is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm in Maharashtra as no other festival comes close to celebrating with such sheer abandon. And so, on March 20, all the teachers and children got ready to celebrate this festival in style at the school play area. They smeared coloured powders on one another, danced, shared some tasty food, and amidst squeals of laughter and excitement, Rangpanchami seemed to have made a long stop at our little centre!
Other News from V-SAT
Nashik
To overcome the sensory issue of balance, the Nashik centre now has a curved balance bar in the play area, constructed on stilts. Therapists at the centre have now begun working with the balance beam, coaxing children to walk on it, thereby improving their balance and alleviating their fear of climbing or falling, even when there is no real danger.
On March 23, Jayanthi Vishwanath, Coordinator of the Nashik centre, presented a seminar on "Changing Paradigms of Child Development" for the parents of Delhi Public School in Nashik. The programme seemed to be an eye-opener for young parents and received wide press coverage.
Erode
After the extensive training session on Individualised Education Programme conducted for the staff at the Erode centre last month, this month was all about putting that knowledge into practice. Teachers were busy drafting out IEPs for their children, which will help them set individualistic goals for each child and then help monitor and track progress in the next academic year.
Tirunelveli
At the Tirunelveli centre, the vocational training programme for young adults with special needs is progressing well and should be operational soon.
Solapur
After months of looking for a larger, more suitable space for a special school, we are delighted to announce that a space has now been found! As we finalise the details and begin setting up the school, stay tuned to this space to know more. If you would like to fund this project or help in any other way, write to info@v-excel.org.
Vocational Training / Youth Empowerment Services
Tip Top Trip
At 2 p.m. at Chennai’s Central station, there was a special buzz in the Chennai-Salem train. 17 of VTU’s trainees, along with a small group of volunteers and teachers, boarded the train, settled into their seats, and then with broad smiles, looked forward to experience this brand new journey – their first overnight trip! It was a huge step forward for us at V-Excel in fostering inclusion and cultivating independence. The destination was Athur, a small town in the city of Salem and the day was filled with several exciting stops for our trainees. The first was a visit to a pottery village. There, the trainees had the opportunity to see the magic of the potter’s wheel firsthand, watch the soft clay being moulded into something beautiful and then try their hand at it too. It was a complete sensory experience for them and they ended up making quite a few clay lamps! The next stop was at a dairy farm where they witnessed the mechanised milking of cows. After that, it was off to the Sago (starch) factory, a fascinating experience, for both teachers and students, to see the process of making pure white sago from tapioca. A carpentry workshop next brought out the trainees’ creative instincts to the fore, where they made simple wooden stools with some assistance. And finally, they went on a short trek, enjoying the wonders of nature, shouting and jumping in joy at this newfound feeling of true independence and freedom.
Other News from VTU
Students at the Youth Empowerment Services centre at Kaustubh in Mylapore are settling down with their new routine and schedule. Kaustubh is V-Excel’s vocational and life-skills training unit, inaugurated on Jan 26, 2014. If you would like to know more, write to Charu Sriram
A catering unit was willing to outsource the cutting of vegetables to the trainees of the Vocational Training Unit in Shastri Nagar. This commenced on March 3 and has been continuing successfully since then. The trainees also seem to be enjoying the work as it gives them an opportunity to showcase one of their skills already learnt at the centre.